COVID-19 has changed the way students learn and the way we parent, at least for now — we’ve gone from dropping our kids off at school and trying to pry information out of them to be the primary holders of all their learning and knowledge.
While many of us want to think this is just a one-time thing, it is highly likely to happen again. Even though many schools claim they will be open for regular operations in the fall, within just 10 hours of opening, dozens of schools in South Korea were forced to shut again after two students tested positive for Coronavirus.
For many parents, the reality is that kids could be forced to learn remotely until the spring of 2021, if not longer. Some will even choose to school their children remotely permanently. While you want to ensure that your children are healthy and happy, it can be frustrating to set up the tech devices your children need for learning remotely. Most parents already have a full plate — so, trying to figure out technical problems with remote learning setup can be an even bigger headache.
Here are the top 3 student remote learning tech problems parents will continue to face:
There are innumerable problems with video conferencing — and most of them are more problematic than you accidentally walking across the background in your wrinkled college t-shirt.
There are so many problems that have to do with the tech setup, let alone the fact that the teacher might see that your kid ate chocolate yesterday and fell asleep before you could wash it off. Some of these problems include:
Of course, there are so many other issues with video conferencing — including the fact that people can sometimes break into these video conferences. Setting up your technology and keeping the setup in a safe space can not only help to eliminate some of these issues, but it will create a safe, learning environment in your home for your child.
We often think that our children are safer on the internet than we ever were because they grew up with it at their fingertips, and they won’t believe (or even get) chain emails and go into fishy chatrooms. However, remote learning and the remote classroom has even more safety concerns. Sometimes, people will record the meetings without consent. Other times, people can get an inside look at your home.
Children left alone on the internet is also a problem. They may find websites that they shouldn’t be looking at, talk to strangers online, or give away private, confidential information. No matter how much you prepare your child for safety online, cybercriminals are smart, devious, and able to creatively worm information out of children, so certain precautions, including active parental monitoring must be in place.
Of course, it’s no secret that the biggest problem with remote learning is internet connectivity issues. With so many people working from home on internet connections that weren’t designed to handle these massive workloads, the internet is continuously breaking down.
You may have to refresh your computer, refresh your router, or just pull your hair out and allow your child to use your cell phone data. Whatever the problem is, you will need to figure it out if you don’t want your child’s learning to be constantly interrupted.
Unfortunately, the best thing you can do is just learn how to roll with the punches of using the internet. You should try to figure out what the fastest solutions are, determine what room in your house gets the best connection, and keep all your software and hardware updated. Turn on automatic updates, check for any problems, and use a virus scanner to ensure that your computer is operating at its top performance.
While you may get used to the problems with your computer set-up, you don’t want to interfere with your child’s learning. To further simplify online learning, you may want to learn about the different platforms available, including Zoom, Slack, Trello, and more. At the same time, you should proactively discuss internet safety with your child - and stress active learning off screen as well.
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Every minute counts during your child’s classroom time. No one is going to wait until you have your tech problems all straightened out. Why not have access to a qualified specialist who will help you prepare and setup remotely with ease. Find out more details about our remote learning support and how to make your child’s remote learning setup a breeze.